China 2009: BYD F3 crowned, Excelle & Elantra Yuedong follow

The Chinese sales ranking is completely reshuffled in 2009: after 3 consecutive years on top, the VW Jetta drops to 4th in spite of sales still increasing by 11% at 224,857 units. The best-selling passenger car title goes to the BYD F3, with a record 291,010 sales, up 113% on 2008! Never a car had sold so many units in a single year in China. The BYD F3 is also the first car to sell more than 30,000 units in a month in the country. More on here.

Buick Excelle

The Buick Excelle, thanks to the new generation launched late last year, is able to stay #2 with sales up 37% at 241,109 units. The Hyundai Elantra Yuedong climbs on the podium at #3 for its first full year at 239,449 sales (+203%).The previous generation Elantra, still on sale and restyled this year manages to grow by 48%, reclaiming a spot in the Top 10 at #6!

Hyundai Elantra Yuedong

The Honda Accord (+3%), Toyota Corolla (-5%) and Camry (+2%) withdraw a bit this year, as the Tianjin Xiali stays 9th with sales up 22%. The VW Lavida, positioned by VW as a possible long-term Jetta or Santana replacement, is #10 for its first full year with 146,455 sales.